Against the Old One
[h=2]Mission 01: “Border Watch”[/h]Session 01
Patchwall 1 585 cy
Written by Orimon the Chronicler
Town of Greatwall:
Milord:
As requested I had gone to the city of Greatwall in order to observe the progress of it’s repairs since the enactment of the Greyhawk Treaty.
However, I had inadvertantly stumbled upon a mission that may require some attention. It began in a tavern known as the Behir and Beholder, where I had found myself observing a rather large mercenary. He was taller and wider than most human men garbed in the fashion of the Oeredians. later on my attention was averted with the arrival of a Forest Noniz and a hooded figure which appeared to be of Olven stock. Given that the Inn was fairly crowded the two new arrivals asked to share the table with the large Mercenary. It was then that one of the Sergants of the town guard, named Krayquer, entered the inn with several militia men, and looked about finally settling his gaze on the trio.
It was then he pointed them out and demanded that they accompany him to the Office of the Captain of the town watch. The Noniz, while acknowledging the sergants authority, demanded to be spoken to with some courtesy. Sergant Krayquer took offence and then demanded even more gruffly that the trio comply with his demands. The Noniz then decided to teach the sergant a lesson by casting a spell on the sergant in order to get compliance for his request, which the Sergant resisted and proceeded to then move to put the spell caster under arrest. it was at this point, the massive mercenary stood up and quietly asserted that If the sergant had used courtesy to begin with the trio would have complied. The mercenary then displayed his shield which was covered with the crest of the Denvent Family of The March. I was rather surprised that He would use such a device so blatantly. Sergant Krayquer then relented, wishing to avoid a possibly embarrassing incident, and finally reworded his demand into a request. The trio then accompanied the sergant and his men.
I discreetly follow as they were escorted into the field office, and took the opportunity to listen as they introduce themselves while they waited:
The Noniz introduced himself as Bimwiddley Bumblebee: priest of Garl Glittergold.
The large mercenary Introduced himself as "Little" Tom.
The person accompanying the Noniz Priest: Tro’El , an Olven Minstrel.
A few moments later the trio was finally met by an Oeredian man carrying an air of quiet authority, named Captain Gillmore. He quickly apologised for the behavior of Sergant Krayquer and after dismissing the sergant and his men, proceeded to request that the trio assist him with a favor.
Captain Gillmore details that since the Greyhawk wars, trade had suffered due to the constant raid by Iuzian forces. Now that the treaty has been signed, Count Jakarti (ruler of the County of Crystal Reach) is attempting to re-establish trade lines with the help of three merchants. Gillmore then stated that the goal is to make sure that the merchants reach their destinations and offered to pay the trio 1000 Gold coins each for their trouble and an additional 250 gold coins up front for supplies.
The trio discussed the offer for a moment then agreed, which pleased Captain Gillmore who then left to have Sergant Krayquer to instruct the party on the details of the mission. One of the more disconcerting details of Krayquer's instructions was his insistance that the party kill any lizardmen on sight. Bimwiddley appeared rather concerned at first requesting details as to why. Krayquer explained that Iuz had been using lizard folk to smuggle information and supplies to spies within Furyondy. Krayquer again insisted that the lizard folk be killed on sight to which Bimwiddley gave the caveat that he would only do so if they attacked him first. Krayquer then sighed in exasperation and dismissed the party to meet with the merchants.
The party then returned to the Behir and Beholder where they were introduced to their charges:
Malin of Greatwall: a Oredian male who is wider than he is tall.
Emerald of Greatwall: a half-olven female who uses her exotic beauty to make deals.
Jasmalus: a man who is the more studious of the bunch.
The three merchants spoke at length about their plans to travel along the Veng River to the City of Willip stopping at each of the cities in between, and they then treated the party to dinner and drinks before retiring for the night.
The Journey forward: Patchwall 2-5, 585 cy
The party and the merchants gathered at dawn, packing the three large carts full, and started their travels out the gate accompanied by two squads of Heavy Calvary! They were met with cheers and accolades as they finally exited the city gates. The knights rode along with the caravan for the first half of the morning before they finally turned and left to return back to their patrols.
I could see the concern on the party's faces as the horsemen rode off, but they set their steely reserve forward, and travelled on.
The first day (Patchwall 2) was rather uneventful.
Patchwall 3: The party encountered a nest of Giant centipedes, however, Bimwiddley used knowledge from his upbringing to get the party past the large insects without incident.
Patchwall 4: In the early morning, the party encountered a group of 8 halflings travelling to Greatwall, The two groups shared some information about the road, where the halflings warned of Uroz (Orcs in the common tongue) and Jembli (Goblins) raids further up they had avoided so far by travelling exclusively during the day.
Patchwall 5: early in the morning, Tro’El and Bimwiddley were alerted to a sound in the bushes. Once the party had gotten ready they were shocked to find two Basilisks emerging from the foliage. They did not seem to be agitated, but everyone frantically attempted to avoid their petrifying Gaze. Bimwiddly had appeared to not be very successful but somehow was protected when he put up his battle axe which also serves as his holy Symbol, the creature then averted his gaze leaving the Noniz cleric unscathed. The party then retreated while the basilisks slipped into the brush. Relieved that they were able to escape without conflict the caravan immediately made way to continue on their trip, while Bimwiddley spoke about how his god spared his life.
Session 02
Patchwall 5: The Party finally managed to find a spot to camp for the night. It was a small area with a cave which could provide shelter; However, In their rush to make camp they did not explore to see if the cave was occupied. This proved to be a somewhat foolish action as during the night Tom had spotted movement within the caves and alerted the party just as several Euroz (Orcs in the Common tongue) moved in to the attack. Tom stood in the mouth of the cave to block the exit, hefting his massive club, Splattering the head of a charging Euroz with a solid blow. Tro’El and Bimwiddly readied themselves while the merchants kept their distance giving the party room to act. With his Lute in hand, Tro’El played a lilting tune with magically put five of the Orcs into a deep slumber as Bimwiddly called on the power of Garl Glittergold, commanding one to kneel in subjugation. Tom later dispatched two more Orcs and the remaining greenskins fled into the cave. Once the battle ended, a Satyr came running out of the bush having heard the sounds of battle. Seeing the party victorious, he introduced himself as Patrolikus, a warrior of the Seelie court of Vesve sent to patrol the road along the Veng River. After a few moments of pleasantries later, He agrees to join the party in pursuing the orcs into the cave. Within moments the four adventurers leave the merchants and make their way inside where they discover the four raiders cringing in terror. At that moment, they rose up into battle, as the party also moved in. Both Tom and Patrolikus worked to kill all but one, who surrenders, pleading for his life. Eventually, they bring the orc out of the cave and Tie him up along with his fellows.
The Orcs were then questioned by Tro’El , in their language, who asked why they attacked. The Orc captured in the cave replied that they were sent to engage in raids along the border; And had proven to be somewhat successful in killing different caravans. The Orcs (the ones who were awake) stared at “little” Tom and one finally asked Tro’El what he was doing travelling with an “Orog”(Orc - Ogre Hybrids) in their party. Tom took umbrage to the comparison and growled that he is no son of a Euroz whore, and stormed away to collect his thoughts. At this point the party wondered what to do with the surviving orc warriors. The party first considered releasing them, however Tom Reasoned that they would only return to raiding once more, that perhaps they would best be killed. Bimwiddly, while having no great love for Orcs, could not sit well with the idea of killing them in cold blood. After much discussion, Tom insisted on taking them to Morsten where the military could question the raiders for more information. Once the party agreed to the idea, Tom immediately informed the orcs that they were to cooperate or they would be killed. Surprisingly enough, they assented, referring to him as Orog once again. Deciding not to correct them the party then turned their attention to Patrolikus who was readying himself to resume his duties. Malin, conferred with Jasmalus and Emerald who then asked the Satyr if he would consent to join the group on the caravan to provide another strong arm. At first, Patrolikus resisted the idea until Emerald approached using her feminine wiles capturing the goat-man’s interest. She then convinced Patrolikus to join the caravan.
Patchwall 6-7: After two uneventful days, the caravan finally makes its way to the village of Morsten. I was able to follow undetected as I watched the soldiers take the Orc Captives in for questioning. The Party had arrived just in time for the Bell-Ringing feast, where the community gathers around the largest bell in town and celebrates with a feast and gifts just as the leader rings the bell. It originally served as a celebration, but as of late it serves as a grim reminder to the villagers to remain vigilant against the crush of evil; To celebrate, but cautiously. The party then dropped the Orcs off with the soldiers for questioning and possibly to face Furyondian Justice!
The Journey to Fort Belvor:
Patchwall 9: After a day or relative calm, The Caravan encountered a trio of Humans waving them to stop, Tro’El and Tom moved forward to question them. The humans demanded that the caravan pay them tribute for protection. Malin and the other merchants flatly refused, angering the leader who then summoned six more humans wearing Iuzian uniforms and weapons. The party attacked the bandits killing five and the rest fled. Later in the afternoon, over a dozen Euroz raiders also ambushed the party and were promptly routed by the party. Bimwiddly demonstrated the power of his god once again using what would normally be an Illusionist spell called “Phantasmal Force” to frighten several of the orcs into fleeing.
Patchwall 11: Late into the evening, Tom noticed a sound during his shift in the watch, and went to investigate, the party was then woken up when Tom bellowed out “GOBLINS!” which was followed by a sickening thud followed by the arrival of a flung goblin corpse Which landed in the midst of the sleeping party, Tro’El and Patrolikus, joined in the battle to find Tom attempting to swing at the two surviving goblins. Patrolikus slew the second goblin, but the third, fuelled by desperation (and more bravery than sense) made some rather substantial hits on the large warrior. Tom inadvertently looked at the goblin skulker with some measure of respect before finally smiting it with his club, knocking it unconscious. Tro’El, then questioned the goblin who told the elven minstrel that he was actually working with some of the orc raiders in order to help tend his clan and find some supplies. When asked about Iuz, the goblins did not seem all that enthusiastic about serving the Old One.
Patchwall 13:
After a full day and a half of travel, the party encountered a Furyondian war-band making their way along the road. They asked if the party needed assistance, and Malin pointed to the goblin they had been holding prisoner. The Soldiers were more than happy to take the Jembli into custody for further questioning and possible justice.
Patchwall 15: Later in the afternoon, the party stumbled on three abandoned wagons and stopped to investigate. They had shown signs of having been raided, with several corpses dumped unceremoniously on the side of the road. Jasmalus, for some reason jumped off his wagon and went to the bodies, and discovered a corpse bearing his face with a dagger in the back. It’s workmanship seemed terribly similar to that of the dreaded Scarlet Brotherhood, a Suloise guild composed of thieves and assassins. It even had a compartment in the handle where poison could be injected into the wound. Jasmalus was visibly shaken and seemed overwrought with emotion when a group of Euroz raiders stood off in the distance taunting the party in common. While the caravan members found the orc’s words offensive, they reasoned among themselves that the taunting was designed to lead the party into a trap of some kind.
Jasmalus, filled with rage and sadness, took the body resembling himself, placed it into the cart, and stood up, blasting the four orcs taunting him with a large fireball. All the members of the caravan were shocked to see their fellow merchant using an arcane spell where he never used one before! The Orcs were incinerated so quickly, one barely managed to elicit a rather unmanly scream before dying.
At that moment, eight remaining orcs ran from their hiding places, Some to attack the party, while three ran for their lives, hoping to avoid the spell caster. The party fought in earnest Killing most of the Orcs and managed to take one prisoner. By evening they finally arrived at Fort Belvor.
The fortress itself was battered and war weary, and the merchants were welcomed cautiously as they were allowed to enter. Jasmalus left the caravan with the body and dagger he found, while Malin and Emerald set up shop. The Orc was handed to the military for questioning and then the party talked among them to decide what to do next.
[h=2]Mission 01: “Border Watch”[/h]Session 01
Patchwall 1 585 cy
Written by Orimon the Chronicler
Town of Greatwall:
Milord:
As requested I had gone to the city of Greatwall in order to observe the progress of it’s repairs since the enactment of the Greyhawk Treaty.
However, I had inadvertantly stumbled upon a mission that may require some attention. It began in a tavern known as the Behir and Beholder, where I had found myself observing a rather large mercenary. He was taller and wider than most human men garbed in the fashion of the Oeredians. later on my attention was averted with the arrival of a Forest Noniz and a hooded figure which appeared to be of Olven stock. Given that the Inn was fairly crowded the two new arrivals asked to share the table with the large Mercenary. It was then that one of the Sergants of the town guard, named Krayquer, entered the inn with several militia men, and looked about finally settling his gaze on the trio.
It was then he pointed them out and demanded that they accompany him to the Office of the Captain of the town watch. The Noniz, while acknowledging the sergants authority, demanded to be spoken to with some courtesy. Sergant Krayquer took offence and then demanded even more gruffly that the trio comply with his demands. The Noniz then decided to teach the sergant a lesson by casting a spell on the sergant in order to get compliance for his request, which the Sergant resisted and proceeded to then move to put the spell caster under arrest. it was at this point, the massive mercenary stood up and quietly asserted that If the sergant had used courtesy to begin with the trio would have complied. The mercenary then displayed his shield which was covered with the crest of the Denvent Family of The March. I was rather surprised that He would use such a device so blatantly. Sergant Krayquer then relented, wishing to avoid a possibly embarrassing incident, and finally reworded his demand into a request. The trio then accompanied the sergant and his men.
I discreetly follow as they were escorted into the field office, and took the opportunity to listen as they introduce themselves while they waited:
The Noniz introduced himself as Bimwiddley Bumblebee: priest of Garl Glittergold.
The large mercenary Introduced himself as "Little" Tom.
The person accompanying the Noniz Priest: Tro’El , an Olven Minstrel.
A few moments later the trio was finally met by an Oeredian man carrying an air of quiet authority, named Captain Gillmore. He quickly apologised for the behavior of Sergant Krayquer and after dismissing the sergant and his men, proceeded to request that the trio assist him with a favor.
Captain Gillmore details that since the Greyhawk wars, trade had suffered due to the constant raid by Iuzian forces. Now that the treaty has been signed, Count Jakarti (ruler of the County of Crystal Reach) is attempting to re-establish trade lines with the help of three merchants. Gillmore then stated that the goal is to make sure that the merchants reach their destinations and offered to pay the trio 1000 Gold coins each for their trouble and an additional 250 gold coins up front for supplies.
The trio discussed the offer for a moment then agreed, which pleased Captain Gillmore who then left to have Sergant Krayquer to instruct the party on the details of the mission. One of the more disconcerting details of Krayquer's instructions was his insistance that the party kill any lizardmen on sight. Bimwiddley appeared rather concerned at first requesting details as to why. Krayquer explained that Iuz had been using lizard folk to smuggle information and supplies to spies within Furyondy. Krayquer again insisted that the lizard folk be killed on sight to which Bimwiddley gave the caveat that he would only do so if they attacked him first. Krayquer then sighed in exasperation and dismissed the party to meet with the merchants.
The party then returned to the Behir and Beholder where they were introduced to their charges:
Malin of Greatwall: a Oredian male who is wider than he is tall.
Emerald of Greatwall: a half-olven female who uses her exotic beauty to make deals.
Jasmalus: a man who is the more studious of the bunch.
The three merchants spoke at length about their plans to travel along the Veng River to the City of Willip stopping at each of the cities in between, and they then treated the party to dinner and drinks before retiring for the night.
The Journey forward: Patchwall 2-5, 585 cy
The party and the merchants gathered at dawn, packing the three large carts full, and started their travels out the gate accompanied by two squads of Heavy Calvary! They were met with cheers and accolades as they finally exited the city gates. The knights rode along with the caravan for the first half of the morning before they finally turned and left to return back to their patrols.
I could see the concern on the party's faces as the horsemen rode off, but they set their steely reserve forward, and travelled on.
The first day (Patchwall 2) was rather uneventful.
Patchwall 3: The party encountered a nest of Giant centipedes, however, Bimwiddley used knowledge from his upbringing to get the party past the large insects without incident.
Patchwall 4: In the early morning, the party encountered a group of 8 halflings travelling to Greatwall, The two groups shared some information about the road, where the halflings warned of Uroz (Orcs in the common tongue) and Jembli (Goblins) raids further up they had avoided so far by travelling exclusively during the day.
Patchwall 5: early in the morning, Tro’El and Bimwiddley were alerted to a sound in the bushes. Once the party had gotten ready they were shocked to find two Basilisks emerging from the foliage. They did not seem to be agitated, but everyone frantically attempted to avoid their petrifying Gaze. Bimwiddly had appeared to not be very successful but somehow was protected when he put up his battle axe which also serves as his holy Symbol, the creature then averted his gaze leaving the Noniz cleric unscathed. The party then retreated while the basilisks slipped into the brush. Relieved that they were able to escape without conflict the caravan immediately made way to continue on their trip, while Bimwiddley spoke about how his god spared his life.
Session 02
Patchwall 5: The Party finally managed to find a spot to camp for the night. It was a small area with a cave which could provide shelter; However, In their rush to make camp they did not explore to see if the cave was occupied. This proved to be a somewhat foolish action as during the night Tom had spotted movement within the caves and alerted the party just as several Euroz (Orcs in the Common tongue) moved in to the attack. Tom stood in the mouth of the cave to block the exit, hefting his massive club, Splattering the head of a charging Euroz with a solid blow. Tro’El and Bimwiddly readied themselves while the merchants kept their distance giving the party room to act. With his Lute in hand, Tro’El played a lilting tune with magically put five of the Orcs into a deep slumber as Bimwiddly called on the power of Garl Glittergold, commanding one to kneel in subjugation. Tom later dispatched two more Orcs and the remaining greenskins fled into the cave. Once the battle ended, a Satyr came running out of the bush having heard the sounds of battle. Seeing the party victorious, he introduced himself as Patrolikus, a warrior of the Seelie court of Vesve sent to patrol the road along the Veng River. After a few moments of pleasantries later, He agrees to join the party in pursuing the orcs into the cave. Within moments the four adventurers leave the merchants and make their way inside where they discover the four raiders cringing in terror. At that moment, they rose up into battle, as the party also moved in. Both Tom and Patrolikus worked to kill all but one, who surrenders, pleading for his life. Eventually, they bring the orc out of the cave and Tie him up along with his fellows.
The Orcs were then questioned by Tro’El , in their language, who asked why they attacked. The Orc captured in the cave replied that they were sent to engage in raids along the border; And had proven to be somewhat successful in killing different caravans. The Orcs (the ones who were awake) stared at “little” Tom and one finally asked Tro’El what he was doing travelling with an “Orog”(Orc - Ogre Hybrids) in their party. Tom took umbrage to the comparison and growled that he is no son of a Euroz whore, and stormed away to collect his thoughts. At this point the party wondered what to do with the surviving orc warriors. The party first considered releasing them, however Tom Reasoned that they would only return to raiding once more, that perhaps they would best be killed. Bimwiddly, while having no great love for Orcs, could not sit well with the idea of killing them in cold blood. After much discussion, Tom insisted on taking them to Morsten where the military could question the raiders for more information. Once the party agreed to the idea, Tom immediately informed the orcs that they were to cooperate or they would be killed. Surprisingly enough, they assented, referring to him as Orog once again. Deciding not to correct them the party then turned their attention to Patrolikus who was readying himself to resume his duties. Malin, conferred with Jasmalus and Emerald who then asked the Satyr if he would consent to join the group on the caravan to provide another strong arm. At first, Patrolikus resisted the idea until Emerald approached using her feminine wiles capturing the goat-man’s interest. She then convinced Patrolikus to join the caravan.
Patchwall 6-7: After two uneventful days, the caravan finally makes its way to the village of Morsten. I was able to follow undetected as I watched the soldiers take the Orc Captives in for questioning. The Party had arrived just in time for the Bell-Ringing feast, where the community gathers around the largest bell in town and celebrates with a feast and gifts just as the leader rings the bell. It originally served as a celebration, but as of late it serves as a grim reminder to the villagers to remain vigilant against the crush of evil; To celebrate, but cautiously. The party then dropped the Orcs off with the soldiers for questioning and possibly to face Furyondian Justice!
The Journey to Fort Belvor:
Patchwall 9: After a day or relative calm, The Caravan encountered a trio of Humans waving them to stop, Tro’El and Tom moved forward to question them. The humans demanded that the caravan pay them tribute for protection. Malin and the other merchants flatly refused, angering the leader who then summoned six more humans wearing Iuzian uniforms and weapons. The party attacked the bandits killing five and the rest fled. Later in the afternoon, over a dozen Euroz raiders also ambushed the party and were promptly routed by the party. Bimwiddly demonstrated the power of his god once again using what would normally be an Illusionist spell called “Phantasmal Force” to frighten several of the orcs into fleeing.
Patchwall 11: Late into the evening, Tom noticed a sound during his shift in the watch, and went to investigate, the party was then woken up when Tom bellowed out “GOBLINS!” which was followed by a sickening thud followed by the arrival of a flung goblin corpse Which landed in the midst of the sleeping party, Tro’El and Patrolikus, joined in the battle to find Tom attempting to swing at the two surviving goblins. Patrolikus slew the second goblin, but the third, fuelled by desperation (and more bravery than sense) made some rather substantial hits on the large warrior. Tom inadvertently looked at the goblin skulker with some measure of respect before finally smiting it with his club, knocking it unconscious. Tro’El, then questioned the goblin who told the elven minstrel that he was actually working with some of the orc raiders in order to help tend his clan and find some supplies. When asked about Iuz, the goblins did not seem all that enthusiastic about serving the Old One.
Patchwall 13:
After a full day and a half of travel, the party encountered a Furyondian war-band making their way along the road. They asked if the party needed assistance, and Malin pointed to the goblin they had been holding prisoner. The Soldiers were more than happy to take the Jembli into custody for further questioning and possible justice.
Patchwall 15: Later in the afternoon, the party stumbled on three abandoned wagons and stopped to investigate. They had shown signs of having been raided, with several corpses dumped unceremoniously on the side of the road. Jasmalus, for some reason jumped off his wagon and went to the bodies, and discovered a corpse bearing his face with a dagger in the back. It’s workmanship seemed terribly similar to that of the dreaded Scarlet Brotherhood, a Suloise guild composed of thieves and assassins. It even had a compartment in the handle where poison could be injected into the wound. Jasmalus was visibly shaken and seemed overwrought with emotion when a group of Euroz raiders stood off in the distance taunting the party in common. While the caravan members found the orc’s words offensive, they reasoned among themselves that the taunting was designed to lead the party into a trap of some kind.
Jasmalus, filled with rage and sadness, took the body resembling himself, placed it into the cart, and stood up, blasting the four orcs taunting him with a large fireball. All the members of the caravan were shocked to see their fellow merchant using an arcane spell where he never used one before! The Orcs were incinerated so quickly, one barely managed to elicit a rather unmanly scream before dying.
At that moment, eight remaining orcs ran from their hiding places, Some to attack the party, while three ran for their lives, hoping to avoid the spell caster. The party fought in earnest Killing most of the Orcs and managed to take one prisoner. By evening they finally arrived at Fort Belvor.
The fortress itself was battered and war weary, and the merchants were welcomed cautiously as they were allowed to enter. Jasmalus left the caravan with the body and dagger he found, while Malin and Emerald set up shop. The Orc was handed to the military for questioning and then the party talked among them to decide what to do next.